Have 'framework' than 'rules' to achieve green environment

Ar. Kshitij Jain, Akshaya Jain & Associates Ar. Kshitij Jain, Partner, Akshaya Jain & Associates, in an interview with Built Expressions says that future cities should enrich social fabric and community living with well-organized mixed-use neighborhoods.

BE: What are the several issues identified for sustainable urban built environment? How do we proactively address them?

KJ: Among other challenges (economic, social, political, etc.) there are two crucial issues for the sustainable built environment.  One is haphazard and unrestrained urbanization, which is putting tremendous strain on precious natural resources and the creaking infrastructure of our cities.  And two, the lack of awareness towards long-term benefits and planning of sustainable development.  In order to address these two issues, a holistic approach to project planning need be taken at the inception stage itself whereby sustainable features are integrated with and made intrinsic to the design and planning of the project.  Although ‘intelligent’ systems, state-of-the-art materials and renewable energy devices are effective, sustainable approaches to design are and should not be limited to just these solutions.

BE: What are the effects of Urbanisation on environment? How do we mitigate this challenge in urban environment?

KJ: The effects of urbanization and climate change are converging in dangerous ways.  Increased urbanization leads to, besides the loss of biodiversity, increase in energy consumption, waste production, vehicular congestion and depletion of natural resources.  Major factors contributing to the greenhouse gas emissions are transportation systems, infrastructure development and building construction & operation.  Recent catastrophes in coastal areas and mountainous regions are pointers to the environmental degradation due to reckless & unplanned urbanisation.  However, having said that, urbanisation is inevitable and essential for economic growth.  Cities need to be planned, designed and developed to lessen impact on environment and be resilient to the effects of climate change.  Building cities that are green, inclusive and sustainable should be the foundation of any local and national development agenda since a well-designed city reduces the cost of energy provision, transport and other services which results in increased productivity and efficiency.

BE: As an architect, how do you visualize a future eco friendly city? What important parameters of built environment this city shall address?

KJ: Le Corbusier said 'Sky, space, trees, steel and cement' (in that order).  A future eco-friendly city must foremost have efficient planning so as to be comfortable to its inhabitants, with its design perceptive to location and context.  It should also minimize burden on natural resources by reduction in consumption of water, electrical energy and transportation fuels.  Energy demands may be largely, if not completely, met with harnessing of renewable natural resources.  Future cities should enrich social fabric and community living with well-organized mixed-use neighborhoods.  A case in point could be our project, the Indian Embassy Complex spread over 46 acres in Kathmandu, where buildings of diverse functions (diplomatic, public, socio-cultural & residential) have been designed in a cohesive manner.  With less than 15% ground coverage utilised for construction, the master plan respects the natural topography and retains the existing natural green cover & mature trees, thereby minimizing disturbance to local ecology.  A well-designed built environment can enhance the microclimate resulting in better ambience.

BE: What are the energy efficiency options that should be made mandatory in a building at the time of plan approval? Are there any steps initiated by the concerned authorities in this direction?

KJ: Validating energy efficiency at the plan approval stage would firstly, require skilled resource professionals to check the design in terms of energy efficiency and secondly, considering the strain on civic authorities & time taken in obtaining approvals, it would be difficult to monitor the effectiveness.  One has to keep in mind that the design for each project is unique taking into consideration its use, built-up area, siting, location, budget, orientation, occupancy, neighbourhood, etc.  Accordingly, the set of parameters which would make one project sustainable might not be feasible for another.  For example, while harnessing solar energy and using LED lights (instead of conventional light fixtures) to offset strain on electric consumption would be advisable for almost every project, the capital cost of such installations (LED fixtures, solar photo-voltaic panels, battery bank, etc.) may not be possible for everyone to bear. 

Hence, in the current scenario I would suggest that instead of specifying further 'rules' for green building features during plan approval, it would be more fruitful to create ‘framework’ for relevant measures which can be adopted depending on the applicant's context.  Credits and incentives may also be given to buildings which are actually able to implement sustainable features and achieve higher energy efficiency rating.  For this purpose, the current GRIHA/ IGBC/ BEE rating systems may be relied upon since these organisations have already painstakingly developed various green building parameters.

BE: What is the impact of embodied energy of construction materials in the construction of High Performance buildings for sustainable future?

KJ: Embodied energy in construction is the total energy consumed in the processes of extraction, manufacture and delivery of building materials for use in buildings.  Energy consumption in these processes aggravates greenhouse gas emissions and hence, embodied energy is an important indicator of the overall environmental impact of the building.  Since embodied energy accounts for 20-30% of the building's lifetime energy use, reduced embodied energy implies reduction in environmental impact of a building.  However, in the case of high performance buildings (buildings which have attributes designed to optimize and enhance energy efficiency, durability, life-cycle performance and occupant productivity), higher embodied energy materials may be justified because it reduces the operating energy & water consumption requirements of the building.  Hence, one may suggest that clients should not be averse to technologically advanced and new construction materials, if they bring long-term value to a development and help in bringing down overall energy consumption.